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Management

Many people have great business ideas that could change the world, yet they never amount to anything. Conversely, others with not so great ideas seem always to hit the home runs and create big businesses that influence the lives of many. What is it that makes some business leaders stand out while the rest remain mired in mediocrity?

Characteristics of successful business leaders

There are several characteristics whether inherent or learned that nearly all successful business leaders tend to have. Some of the most important of these traits include:

1. Persistence

The greatest business leaders tend to have unusually high levels of persistence when implementing their business ideas. They have a very thick skin about criticism of their work, and will persist until their ideas come good. It is one of the most vital characteristics of successful business leaders since a lack of persistence will kill even the brightest of ideas.

2. Delegation

Good business leaders come to realize very early that you should not do it all yourself if you intend to achieve high levels of growth and success. As such, one of the most important characteristics of successful

business leaders is the ability to identify talent, train it, and then delegate tasks that they do not have time to do or do well enough.

3. Confidence

The mettle of a successful leader is tested on the days when the business is not doing so well. While an average leader may start to doubt themselves, a great leader knows that it is their job to ensure that staff morale remains high. The leader never wavers from his purpose and belief in their business. They recognize that the team is looking up to them, and if they are confident in the viability of the business, so will others.

4. Communication and engagement

Good business leaders are usually great communicators since they need to work in and with teams. When they have an idea, they would have to communicate it clearly to their subordinates and team members if it is to be executed correctly. It may be argued that communication tends to improve when it is combined with high levels of engagement. The successful business leaders will always engage with their teams and seek counsel on aspects of the business in which they may not be experts.

5. Adaptability and agility

To be a good leader, one needs to be highly adaptable to change, recognize when it is happening and be highly agile in steering the business in new directions. Effective leaders are always active finding out new things going on in their industry and applying them to come up with new approaches and techniques to solve problems.